~ Creatively walking with whispers and shimmers

Tag Archives: life

Deep underwater the pressure squeezes my entire being, a faint light flickers above, my feet are bound in seaweed and grass, my arms burn with exertion as I force myself toward that shimmer, my lungs are screaming for air as I clench my mouth and jaw shut resisting the unrelenting urge to breath in. With each stoke of my weakening arms the light expands, drawing from that light and almost as if it was pulling me I stroke again and again. Now only feet from that summit, that edge, I desperately covet. The closer I get the more my body supplicates for that life giving air, to be freed from that murky hypothermic water of bondage. Fire now burning within, my head crests and then explodes out of that wretchedness, my mouth unbolts with force as that sacred breath floods my lungs, my body lightens as that air brings me buoyant! Empowered I reach down and rip those shackles from my feet, the moon illuminates the shore her reflection becomes a path as I swim to life…

Paper to love our currency must transform, bringing true abundance and wealth.
Aggression in our action and tongue we smelt burning away the impurities revealing the truth which is our fear, Sitting with fear, with true compassion, courage and strength will transmute the venom to true medicine.
Bars and arsenals will melt into art of freedom and peace.

Drawing this morning when a voice spoke to me. As I rubbed the eraser across an unneeded line the voice spoke, “It is the same in life”. I continued with my sketch thinking about this comment. The same in life? I thought. Erasing? The voice said “yes”, “the letting go of the unneeded elements”. “As you move through life you pick up many things along the way from relationships and habits to material objects” “Each thing connects to your life” the voice said. “Similar to your drawing you need these things to anchor the next line, the next step, into the next stage of your development and experience”.

Of course I thought! Not only do the removal of lines reveal the intended beauty or subject, they also bring clarity, even discovery! Little thought is paid and there is even an excitement while drawing and removing stray lines to see your vision. So should it be with life. As we gather things along the way we should understand their impermanence, not in a disrespectful, selfish, or consuming way but in reverence and appreciation knowing that each piece is helping to create the whole. The issue is with attachment and the abilty to let go, welcoming change, clearer vision, and a deeper understanding of who this person is that you have the pleasure of being. Letting these lines go and clearing the page of life of all the unnecessary fragments and clutter allows for clarity.

I then thought, what lines, what fragments of my life should be let go of? How do I know? The voice said “Step back”. Step Back? Ive heard that before, my art instructor use to tell me that a lot! “Eddie step back from your work!” “your getting too focused on that one area”.

How do I step back from a life I’m in was the next obvious question. “You do it all the time Eddie” said the now seemingly resident voice in my head. “You use to be really good at it when you were a young man!” it continued.

Just as making it a point to step back from your work allows clearer vision and perspective so does making time to meditate and be thankful for the many wonderful things and moments in your life. With consistent practice your vision becomes clearer, the mind more still and a sense of knowing is unveiled.

Maybe it’s not stepping back so much as its stepping in, in regards to life. The important thing is to not carry it all, to allow the beauty that is your life to radiate unmuted.

So many wonderful hands with digits of great talent, amazing they are, able tools connected to the body! Each hand unique to its existence and its master, some scared, stained, and callused, others smooth, manicured, and clean, no matter their appearance or texture each has uplifted, comforted, destroyed, given, received, and been shaken.

To receive another’s hand in that brife embrace of a hand shake says so much, to feel the large, coarse and callused firm squeeze of the mason, the smooth slender and gentle presence of a grandmothers hand.
“Bump it bro” or of course the classic high five, each unite and celebrate!

Hands have always been a fascination of mine. As a young boy I remember sitting in mass holding my mothers hand, I would push and roll the veins that were proud on the back of her hand, I would feel the smooth long red painted nails at the end of each finger while listening to stories of a man named Jesus who used his hands to heal. I remember watching the skilled hands of my uncle as he seemed to preform magic chiseling, carving, and filing to create wonderful objects, I marveled at how not only his hands but the multitude I observed seemed to move effortlessly and flawlessly while working in their craft, even watching the ladies type in my moms office I was amazed at how their fingers could move so quick and accurately. click click click tap click I would pretend is was typing of course only gibberish.

When I look at anything made by hands I appreciate their presence I recognize their effort and skill.
To the hands that have left their imprint upon my life that have helped to shape and mold this person I am, I am forever grateful! To the two hands bound to me and that I have the pleasure of using to create, feel, mend, communicate, embrace and connect, thank you!

To the hands you have the pleasure of meeting, receive them warmly and know the wonder they possess and the connection they hold with the heart of their master.

Creative thoughts and ideas seem at times to just appear in the conscious mind from no where, almost like some kind of revelation (a gift possibly?).
I love these moments and find these ideas seem to appear most during times of movement either while riding my bicycle or driving along an open highway. It’s almost like the act of physically moving causes my thoughts to move, to progress, to scroll forward. Like the propulsion of my body forward has a similar effect on my thoughts. I’m a picture kinda guy so here’s a picture to keep us moving along …

There are times too, when the thoughts seem to stop, when you are moving along on a project and all of a sudden, blank! Confused or at least unsure what the next step should be you try to force out a solution but the more you try the more it seems to be held in. Like when you lose something and you try and try to find it but can not, as soon as you let go of that struggle it seems though it comes to you and you remember where the lost item is. The same seems to be true with the solutions with our work, when we can step back, allow time and our minds to sort things out next thing you know, there it is! The solution! Seemingly obvious and yet it was obscured for some reason…

Totally unrelated just to share here are two pictures of migrating geese (I think). The second picture I thought was neat because the birds seem to be forming an outline of a mountain landscape.